Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Students donāt learn only during the school year, and academic growth trajectories can change as students move from kindergarten through high school. Academic growth patterns across timeāboth in school and during the summerācan differ for various groups of students, and those patterns can influence academic achievement gaps. Our research advances understanding of seasonal learning patterns, summer loss, and school and non-school contributions to student growth.
In this webinar by the Alliance for Excellent Education, NWEA, and the National Center for Learning disabilities, learn about recent research on academic growth for students in special education before the pandemic and implications for policies and practices designed to spur COVID-19 recovery.
By: Elizabeth Barker, Angela Johnson, Meghan Whittaker, Esq., Michael K. Yudin, Phillip Lovell, Jeremy Boerner
Topics: Equity, COVID-19 & schools, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
How does schooling affect inequality in studentsā academic skills? This study uses seasonal comparisons to examine the possibilities that schooling exacerbates, reduces, or reproduces overall skill inequality in math, reading, language use, and science with recent national data on US public school students spanning numerous grade levels from the NWEA MAP Growth assessment. Results suggest that schooling has a compensatory effect on inequality in reading, language, and science skills but not math skills. Theoretical implications of findings are discussed.
By: Dennis Condron, Douglas Downery, Megan Kuhfeld
The forgotten 20 percent: Achievement and growth in rural schools across the nation
Using achievement data from fall and spring of grades K-8 for 840,000 students in 8,800 public schools, this study provides novel evidence on how achievement and growth differ between rural and nonrural schools. Rural students start kindergarten slightly ahead of nonrural students but fall behind by middle school. The divergence is driven by larger summer losses for rural students. In both rural and nonrural schools, BlackāWhite achievement gaps widen during the school year.
By: Angela Johnson, Megan Kuhfeld, James Soland
Topics: Equity, Growth modeling, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Supporting students with disabilities throughout the year
Students with disabilities lose even more ground than peers during summer and other interruptions in their learningābut they donāt need to. Data point to a need for services that extend beyond the school year.
By: Elizabeth Barker, Angela Johnson
Achievement and growth for English Learners
This study reports achievement and growth from kindergarten to 4th grade for three groups of English Learners. The findings suggest summer support is required to help ELs maintain and develop academic skills.
By: Angela Johnson
Topics: Equity, English Language Learners, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
Achievement and growth for English Learners
This study reports achievement and growth from kindergarten to 4th grade for three groups of English Learners. The findings suggest summer support is required to help ELs maintain and develop academic skills.
By: Angela Johnson
Topics: Equity, English Language Learners, Seasonal learning patterns & summer loss
The forgotten 20 percent: Achievement and growth in rural schools across the nation
New research using data from over 2,300 rural schools across the US provides unique insight into math and reading achievement of students in rural schools so educators and policymakers can better understand and support the potential needs of rural schools.
By: Angela Johnson, Megan Kuhfeld, James Soland